Snowflakes
by Skyelara
Summary: They say each snowflake is unique. In a way, they're just like people. They suddenly come and disappear right before your eyes. At that moment, Sonic felt as if he were going to lose Amy forever. He couldn't keep running away; reality would set in. Sonamy
1. Chapter 1

I do not own any characters in this story---they all belong to sega.

* * *

Her sweet voice danced around his ears, her soft touch sent tingles down his spine. He looked down at the hand that had just left his shoulder, and then into her jade eyes, sparkling like the winter snow. "Amy?" He was surprised, not quite sure how long she had been following him for. She was always following him though, ever since they were kids.

"Hey, Sonic," she greeted happily, sending him a friendly smile. "What's up?" He noted she seemed quite pleased with herself for catching up with him.

"Just killing some time before the Christmas party tonight. Yourself?" He pulled uncomfortably at the cobalt scarf tied around his neck. He felt disturbingly warm, despite the frosty wind that battered against his skin.

"Doing some last minute shopping for gifts," she replied, glancing down quickly at the numerous shopping bags in her hands. "You were a hard one to pick this year, but I think you'll love it!"

He shrugged slightly, looking towards the street which he so desperately wanted to run to. "Anything's good. It's the thought that counts, right?" What had he gotten her again? He doubted she wouldn't like it--she liked anything that had to do with him.

Amy nodded in agreement, still smiling. How could anyone smile so much anyway? How could she keep on smiling knowing he could never give her what she wanted most? One thing was for certain, he would never understand girls.

"Did you finish your shopping?" she asked, full attention on him, like always.

His emerald eyes flickered back to her and he saw his chance at freedom. "Actually," he cleared his throat, confident, "I haven't." Sure, it was a little white lie…but those were the harmless kind, weren't they? He had told her countless little white lies. She had always gotten over them, always come back for more. It was as if she craved anything he would give her, even if they were just lies.

"You haven't?" her voice was filled with shock. "But we're giving each other our gifts tonight! How will you get done in only three hours and have time to help Tails set up?"

He chuckled to himself, flashing her his trademark grin. "I'm the fastest thing alive, Amy," he stated matter-of-factly. "Therefore, it's impossible for me not to get done in time. In fact, I bet you I can finish with time to spare and get myself a nice warm chilly dog."

"Well," she said slowly, as though she already knew what he was going to say in reply, "why don't we finish together? I still need to get something for Knuckles… Sonic, wait!"

He had already taken off, leaving her in the distance. He could hear her beginning to shout his name faintly, but it didn't matter; he was already on his way to freedom.

His heart hammered in his chest. It was hard to tell whether it was because of running or because of…

It had to be the exhilaration. It was always the exhilaration of running; to feel the wind tickle his skin, not having to think about anything or anyone…

No, he wouldn't think of anyone, not even a particular someone that had seemed to taken over his thoughts as of late. He was angry, aggravated at himself for not being able to solve this problem. Tails would know what to do (when he got older); the kid was smart. But Sonic? Sure he was a world famous hero, but when it came to this department, he was clueless.

Sonic kept on running until he came upon a large, bare oak tree on a hill, overlooking the city. He collapsed under it, leaning his head against the rough bark. He closed his eyes, a sigh escaping his lips, drowned in the icy wind. His mind, like his heart, was racing. Lately, even he, the fastest thing alive, couldn't keep up with it.

This was the one subject he couldn't talk about with his little buddy, Tails. Even though he was nearing his teenage years and he was probably the smartest person alive, he just wouldn't understand what Sonic was going through.. He couldn't talk it over with anyone for that matter. All he could do was be left alone with his musings, wondering what could have been if only things had been a little different.

He had let his mind wonder to what could be instead of could have been a few times; but knew immediately it would never work. Even if egghead was out of the picture, there would be countless other baddies who would just love to take advantage of one of his few weaknesses. He wouldn't let that happen, her life was much too important to him.

He had once made a promise to himself, to her. He had promised that he would never, ever let anything bad happen to her or let anything he had done put her in harms way. He had this sickening feeling that if he tried to do anything to further their relationship, it would mean the end of her. He had tried numerous times to push her away, to push himself away, but all was futile. She kept coming back for more and in turn, he couldn't help but come back either. He had led her on, whether he had meant to or not, then pushed her away, and apologized after that; an endless cycle of their thorny relationship.

Sonic had never told anyone this, but every time he pushed her away, every time he secretly saw her crying because of him, it broke his heart. It wasn't like he wanted to hurt her…it was just the only way things could be. He wished she could just fall out of love with him, it would certainly make things a lot easier.

How things would have been so much simpler if Metal Sonic hadn't captured her because she was his fan. If only he hadn't known her…

Some things were just meant to be, and it was time he had gotten to face those facts.

Sonic opened his eyes, watching as a small white snowflake drifted upon his nose. He looked up to the darkened, cloudy sky, little flurries of snow gently falling down to earth. Standing up, stretching his arms up to the sky, he gathered it was about time he headed over to Tails' place to help set up for the party.

He took off running, hoping to leave his racing mind behind so he could concentrate and focus on more important things; surviving the party.

* * *

"Hey, Tails!" Sonic opened the door and walked inside. He was instantly greeted by a rush of warm air and the aroma of sweets from the kitchen. He shook the snow off of his quills and closed the door behind him.

The room glowed with the bright white and rainbow lights that were strung around the Christmas tree in the corner of the living room, next to the fireplace. Simple, yet beautiful decorations hung from the limbs of the pine tree. There were numerous decorated orbs of different colors that seemed to sparkle from the lights, not to mention little figures like angels and nutcrackers. Sonic could pick out numerous orbs that had been decorated by him and all of his friends one Christmas year, each one with their names on it. Silver tinsel hung from the pine, shimmering like rain in the moonlight. At the top of the tree was a pure white star, like the ones that seemed to shine from the heavens above.

"Over here!" Tails' voice came from behind the huge Christmas tree he was putting the finishing touches on. "Cream and Vanilla are in the kitchen cooking dinner and dessert. Can you help with something?"

"Yeah, sure. What do you want me to do?" Sonic asked, walking up to the tree. Tails' head peered around, his blue eyes swimming with thought.

"Over there is a box," he instructed, pointing to a cardboard box next to the fireplace, labeled: Stockings and other such decorations. "You can decorate the mantle with the stockings and other little figurines. After that, you can go see if Vanilla and Cream need help finishing up dinner and dessert."

"Yes, sir!" Sonic gave a salute, to which Tails rolled his eyes, and got to work. He hung numerous stockings upon the brick mantle. Each stocking was a certain color, pertaining to one of his friends, and each was decorated accordingly. Upon the white part at the top, was their name, decorated in a fancy script. He recognized it immediately as Amy's neat handwriting. He cast the thought of Amy aside, but as fate would have it, the next stocking to hang was hers.

His heart gave an unexpected lurch in his chest, despite his desperate attempts to stay calm. He cast a glance at Tails, hoping he couldn't hear it's loud hammering. Satisfied that he couldn't hear a thing, Sonic looked back at the stocking in fascination. Maybe he could sneak a small note or gift in it from him? No one would ever know it was from him, right?

"Is it dirty or something?" Sonic jumped and dropped the rosy pink stocking. He whirled around, staring at Tails like a dear in headlights. "Well," Tails noted with a hint of amusement, "it is now."

Sonic felt his cheeks warm with embarrassment as he slowly bent down and picked up the stocking. He could feel Tails' stare burning into the back of his head. He tried to dismiss it, hoping that if he ignored him, he too would be ignored.

"Sonic?"

Obviously not.

"Yeah?" He carefully hung the stocking on the mantle, right next to his, before looking back at his little buddy. Soon he wouldn't be able to call his little buddy his little buddy anymore. Tails was in the middle of a growth-spurt, and he was almost as tall as Sonic. Everyone was growing up now in their own ways.

"What's on your mind?" Tails asked, slowly picking up his own stocking from the pile, hanging it up next to Amy's. "You've seemed distracted lately."

Sonic mentally cursed, wondering how Tails could have seen through him so quickly. Usually he was better at hiding when he was thinking about something, or someone, like Amy. Was it that noticeable?

"Are you thinking about Amy?"

Surely it couldn't have been that noticeable.

"What makes you say that?" Heat crept slowly up his neck, nestling in his cheeks. His heart began to hammer once more in his chest, his mind racing for any excuse to get out of this conversation. It was way to soon to have it! He didn't even know what he was supposed to talk to Amy about on this subject, let alone Tails!

"Cream and I have just…noticed something different in the way you treat her lately," Tails responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Plus, you're blushing." Sonic could hear the triumphant smirk in his voice. Damn.

"Am not!" He turned away to hide the evidence, grabbing another stocking hastily. "It's the fire…it's, uh, making me warm."

"It's not even on yet!" Tails exclaimed, his voice going an octave higher in disbelief. "Come on, Sonic. Why don't you want to talk about this? It's just me and you. I thought we were best friends."

Now he was laying on the guilt trip, and the stupid thing was, it was working. Sonic slowly hung the last stocking upon the mantle, and gave a hearty sigh. "Tails, you are my best friend. It's just…complicated. You wouldn't understand."

"And why wouldn't I?" he demanded, frustration and anger coursing through his voice. "Is it because I'm just a kid?"

Sonic had begun to realize that he had maybe gone a bit too far in his attempts to disengage the conversation. Tails, of course, would be a bit touchy on the topic of his age. Most pre-teens/teenagers were. Heck, when Amy was younger and chasing after him, he used to say she was too young all the time in his attempts to get rid of her (he didn't like her that way at that time period). He had learned quickly that it wasn't such a good idea. He swore sometimes he could still feel the lumps on his head from her hammer.

"I never said you were a kid," he said softly, finally daring to meet Tails' flaming blue orbs. "I just don't think you would understand what I'm going through."

"You think I don't understand anything, Sonic, but I understand plenty. I'm not your little buddy anymore." Ouch.

He gaped at Tails for a moment, shocked. After a moments pause, Sonic began to chuckle.

"What?" Tails asked cautiously, raising an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

"You may be growing up, but you'll never stop being my little buddy. Don't you know that?"

Tails went to open his mouth to speak when Cream walked through the door, wearing a cute green dress with white lacing decorating the collar, the ends of the sleeves, and the bottom of the dress in an intricate design, much like that of snowflakes. "Is everything alright?" she asked in her soft voice, her chestnut eyes swimming with worry. "We heard yelling…" Her glance flickered over to Tails specifically.

Sonic looked at Tails, expecting him to say something to ensure everything was fine, but instead found him looking away, ashamed and embarrassed. "We're fine, Cream," Sonic replied, smiling warmly. "We just had a little disagreement about decorations on the tree. Perhaps we can get your opinion?"

Cream blinked and nodded, walking over gracefully, standing next to Tails. "It looks great, Tails," she said shyly. "I really like the tree this year…. I better get back to the kitchen though, my mother still needs help cooking. See you inside soon?" She touched his arm gently, sending an encouraging smile his way.

Sonic noticed that instead of speaking to the both of them, Cream only spoke to Tails, and in turn, he continued to stare at the ground. Perhaps, he realized as Cream skipped back into the kitchen, he and Tails were both in the same boat after all.

"I was wrong," Sonic murmured gingerly, once he was completely sure Cream was out of earshot. "you do understand." Tails looked up, alarmed. "How long as this been going on for?" he asked curiously.

"You mean…Cream and I?" his voice was lowered in a whisper, in case their voices carried into the kitchen again. His eyes darted towards the door, as if afraid someone was going to come inside or eavesdrop on their conversation.

Sonic nodded in reply, grinning a little.

Tails sighed a little, running a hand through his bangs. "Well…I dunno. A while? It's hard to tell. I just…wait." He eyed Sonic warily. Sonic could just imagine the gears of his mind turning, trying to work something out. The only thing was, he didn't want him to work this one out.

"What?" he asked innocently, playing with the gloves on his hands. "We can't talk about this? I thought you wanted to?"

"No, I wanted to talk to you about Amy and you, not Cream and I," Tails insisted, rolling his eyes at Sonic's meager attempt to change the topic. "I'm not stupid you know."

"Do we have to now?" he asked, desperate to evade this subject as long as possible. "Like, can't we talk after the party?"

"No way! Sonic, you have to talk to her about this soon. You can't just keep avoiding her and hoping this will all just work out." His expression softened. "Take her for a walk or something and talk. Work things out."

"There's nothing to work out, Tails," Sonic insisted stubbornly, crossing his arms. "We can't ever be together and that's the end of it."

"Ever?"

"Ever."

"And why not?" Tails asked, just as stubborn as him. "Just because of Eggman? Just because you're a world renowned hero? Or is it just because you don't have the guts and you're afraid?"

"I do too have the guts! And I'm not afraid!" he insisted, shooting his friend a small glare. "And I will talk to her tonight about this." Talking wasn't bad, was it? This whole problem he was having when he was around her would be solved tonight. Hopefully, just hopefully, things would work out for the better. Though whether that meant them as friends or more, he didn't know.

"Good," Tails said smugly, obviously having won the argument. "Now…have you gotten her anything?"

"For what?" Sonic asked automatically.

The twined tailed fox sent him a bewildered look. "What do you mean, 'for what'? For Christmas of course! You did get her something, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," Sonic dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "Relax, I have something…I think. If not, then…I'll think of something. Now, lets go help Cream," Sonic grinned, winking.

"Why did I ever have to tell you?" Tails groaned as Sonic pushed him into the kitchen, against his will.

Sonic would put the thought of talking to Amy out of his head until he had to think about it. She would be here in around a half hour, and he had no idea how to prepare for this, if there was even a way to prepare for it.

* * *

This was originally a oneshot, but it was turning out to be WAY too long to be just a oneshot. So I tried to cut it up as evenly as I could. The second part should be up soon :) Thanks for reading, and please review! Even if it's just constructive critiscm, cause I want to know how I can improve my writing. Thanks again! :)


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything sonic realted! They belong to sega.

* * *

Sonic stood in the corner, away from everyone else, his nervous mind racing faster than ever. There she was, sitting next to Cream and Rouge, talking. Her sweet laugh, like silver bells, faintly tickled his ears. She was wearing a red dress, one like the one she used to wear, but decorated with white snowflakes. The end of the dress had a white garland type of decoration sewn on. She glanced over at him and smiled a little, though he could see the faint light of disappointment in her jade eyes.

His breath caught in his throat and he looked down towards the floor, the palms of his hands feeling moist. He felt light headed, and that defiantly wasn't from hunger (he had eaten so much he thought he might burst!). He gathered she was looking away, for he could hear her conversing with Rouge on where she had gotten her new bracelet, but hadn't had enough money to get the matching snowflake necklace. Typical of Rouge to be interested in something like that.

Every minute he was fighting the instinct to get up and run very far away from this place, like all the other times he had before when he was around her. What he wouldn't give to be running through fields or lying under that oak tree…

He saw Tails walk over out of the corner of his eye. "Breathe," he said calmly, placing his hands upon the blue blur's shoulders. Sonic tried his best to comply, taking a deep breath. "Good boy," Tails smiled and Sonic scowled.

"I can't calm down, Tails!" he hissed under his breath, leaning against the wall, hitting his head lightly against it. "It's no use. How can I talk to her when I'm feeling all…jittery? I can barely contain myself from running away! I know if I'm alone with her I will run, and that'll only hurt her more."

"You wont," the fox assured him matter-of-factly.

"How do you know?" he asked glumly, glancing over at his two tailed friend. What a stupid question. He had long learned not to question how Tails knew something, because, well, Tails knew almost everything.

He briefly wondered if Tails had spoken to Cream and if things had gone well. His gaze once again drifted back to where the three girls were sitting, but this time, he looked at the cream colored rabbit. He saw Cream staring over at his fox friend and he couldn't help but grin the tiniest bit. Cream's chestnut orbs met emerald ones for a split second, and she quickly looked away, blushing horribly.

_Oh Tails_, Sonic chuckled mentally. His spirits lifted for the tiniest of moments, that is, until Tails brought him back to his own relationship problems.

"You know this has to be done. You wont allow yourself to if you know it'll only hurt her more," Tails replied to Sonic's earlier question. He then pulled Sonic away from the wall and gave him a small little push towards Amy. "And when I mean it has to be done, I mean now."

"Yes, Mother," Sonic muttered mockingly, shooting him a glare. He cleared his throat, pulling at the scarf around his neck again. _Well, here goes nothing…,_ he thought slowly, attempting to calm himself walked casually, well, as casually as he could, up to the three gabbing girls. "Um," he cleared his throat again, catching their attention. "Hi."

"What do you want?" Rouge asked, looking somewhat annoyed. "We're in the middle of a conversation here." Amy shot her a look of her own.

Sonic would have made some kind of smart-ass remark, but he was way to anxious to think of one. "Amy?" Her attention snapped up to his suddenly, her eyes as wide as saucers. He could sense the hope and panic radiating from her body. "Can I, um, talk to you?"

She looked surprised, her jade eyes swimming with various sorts of emotions. He could tell she could sense his nervousness. "Well, I suppose we can," she said in a cool tone, either trying to hide her excitement or concern; he couldn't tell which.

"Great," he breathed in relief. For a brief second, he thought she was going to turn him down--then again, would she ever? He watched her stand up and he took her hand in his, pulling her towards the door. She appeared to be a little startled.

"Where are we going, Sonic? Can't we talk in here?" she inquired, obviously very confused to what was going on. Her eyes darted back to the other two girls, who were watching with very curious looks plastered upon their faces. No doubt they would ask for the full story once she returned back to the house. He only hoped he would have the courage to come back with her.

One by one, he could feel everyone staring at them as he pulled her across the room to the front door. "Nope. Too many people." He looked back, saw the worry in her eyes, and flashed her a reassuring smile which seemed to calm her down a bit.

"Well," she started slowly, as they walked out into the frosty winter-wonder-land. "Where are we going then?"

Sonic paused a little, thinking. "Um…, the park," he decided at last, glancing back down at her. "It always looks nice during the winter time. Plus," he added casually, "it's nearby." _In case I need to run back to Tails' place…,_ he thought, though he hoped it wouldn't come down to that.

"Alright," Amy smiled up at him. He did his best to smile back, knowing that she was placing her full trust in him. He briefly wondered how he was going to start this conversation…and end it.

They made it to the park in five or ten minutes and sat down on a bench near the pine trees decorated with bright lights. Snow began to fall gently from the sky, engulfing everything in white.

"It looks like we'll have a white Christmas this year," Amy mused, looking up at the cloudy night sky. Her bangs fell into her sparkling green gems. Her soft pink hair had grown, falling over her shoulders. He had never noticed, but she looked good with slightly longer hair. He took a deep breath, feeling uncomfortably warm again.

"Yeah," he mumbled quietly, not really knowing what else to say. How was he ever going to talk to her about their relationship, or anything else for that matter if he could never get words out of his mouth?

"I love the snow," she went on, taking Sonic by surprise. "They say that no two snowflakes are alike, each design unique. In a way, snowflakes are much like people."

Sonic stared at her in fascination, and watched as she looked back at him, green gems full of worry. "They come suddenly into your life in the most unexpected ways, and then just like that, they disappear right before your very eyes." As if to prove her point, a snowflake fell upon her hands, and melted almost instantly.

Sonic felt a lurch of guilt as he listened to her story, and knew that she meant him when she was talking about people leaving. He went to reach out and grab her hand to comfort her, but stopped. He suddenly had this very foreboding feeling that Amy was going to leave him. The feeling was so overpowering he thought he was going to lose his mind. Was that what she was trying to say? That she was going to leave him? He didn't want her to leave!

"Amy," he began, his voice breaking slightly as he tried to find the words to say. He searched her eyes for any clue on what she was thinking. He saw none. "What are you saying?" When had they switched roles? When had he become the crazed hedgehog in love?

"I'm saying…," she let a sigh escape her lips, never breaking their gaze. "I'm saying I can't bear to have you leave me again. It hurts too much, Sonic, and I can't wait for you…I bet you're glad.," she added quietly, looking like she was about to cry. Poor thing.

"Ames," he started, unable to take this any longer. He reached out, grabbing her hand, and squeezed it with his own. He could feel her pulse racing, matching his. Two hearts beating to the same song, destinies intertwined since before they knew each other. He felt like he was going to burst. "I…I'm not glad….I don't _want_ to break your heart again, you gotta believe me."

"Then why?" Amy asked, voice shaking heavily, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. "Then why do you keep doing it?" She tried to yank her hand out of his, but he held firm. The thought ran though his head again; when had they changed roles?

"Because I don't want you to get hurt!"

She sent him an accusing look, and a matching glare along with it. "Too late for that, Sonic."

"How can I make you understand?" he begged, slowly reaching and wiping a tear off her cheek. She looked down at her lap, shutting her eyes. "I pushed you away because I thought…I thought that if I didn't--"

"You would fall in love with me?" she interjected, voice colder than the frosty winds that battered against his skin.

"It's too late for that, Ames, I'm already in love with you," Sonic murmured quietly, watching as she snapped open her eyes and stared at him, eyes wide.

"W-What…what did you just say?" she asked, her voice a mere whisper. He could feel her heart pounding furiously and could of sworn he heard it too, but if he did, it was already lost in the wind.

All the times he had imagined saying this to her, and he had finally done it. He was quite proud of himself. He felt like laughing, or jumping up in down in happiness. He felt so light, so…warm. It wasn't that uncomfortable warm, but a warmth that seemed to light his soul. All this time, he had been running away from his feelings and fears, and now he had finally stopped and let them catch up with him--and he had never been so glad he had stopped running in his life.

"I love you," he answered firmly, "and the only reason I haven't said it before is because I was afraid. Afraid that if I told you, someone would come and hurt you because of it. Afraid of my own…my own…do I have to say it?"

She wiped her eyes and smiled up at him. "No….," she shook her head, squeezing his hand lightly. "You don't have to say it. You don't have to be afraid anymore. I love you too, Sonic."

She went to lean in, but he stopped her quickly. "But that's just it, Amy," he confessed quietly, "I _do_ have to be afraid…what if Eggman finds out? What if because I love you, you'll get hurt? I couldn't bear to see anything happen to you because of me."

"I don't care," she stubbornly said. It felt like her stare was going to pierce through his very core. "It's my choice, my risk."

"But _I_ care."

"But it's not your choice to make, Sonic!" Amy insisted, searching his eyes. "Are you just going to let this slip away? Break your own heart in the process, as well as mine? Why bother telling me if you're just going to say no?"

He opened his mouth to retort, but was at a lost for words. So all he said was, "Amy…." and watched as she did something that completely took him by surprise. She placed her hands softly on his cheek, and closed the distance between them, pressing her lips against his. His heart rate was sent skyrocket, his mind pulling a blank for once. Knowing fully well this could be the last time they ever kissed, he wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her closer. He had never felt anything like this before in his life and found that he…really liked it. Never had he thought that he would be kissing Amy Rose.

She slowly pulled away, and he felt a small pang of disappointment as she did so. "See?" she murmured softly, searching his eyes. "Not so bad is it?"

He cracked a smile. "You're right, it's not so bad," he mused, then sighed. "But…I'm still concerned for your safety."

"Sonic, I can take care of myself," Amy insisted once more, fighting to keep her voice level. "I'll take up karate or something. You can teach me how to fight better--not that I can't fight now. I've given Eggman quite a few lumps."

"Yeah, as well as some of us," he remarked with a small chuckle. He stopped, looking serious again. "I'm not saying no…," he started, "but…can we keep it secret for now? Until we work out how to keep you safe?"

"I'm already safe," she said simply, smiling, "because you're watching over me. I have my very own guardian angel."

"Well, this will be one full time job," he remarked, humor ringing loud in his voice. He got up from the bench, pulling her up with him. She giggled, falling into his chest, beaming up at him. He wrapped his arms around her, their noses touching slightly. "You're so beautiful," he breathed quietly, pecking her softly.

"I never thought that this would ever be happening," Amy murmured truthfully, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"To be honest," Sonic admitted, "neither did I. Come on, lets get back to Tails' place before they think something's up." He let go of her and began to run, calling back, "Race ya!"

"Sonic!" He could hear her yell, but also heard her sweet, musical laughter. "Wait up!"

He ran across the street, keeping his speed down slow so Amy would be able to catch up eventually. "Come on, slow poke!" he taunted loud enough for her to hear.

"Come on, Sonic, just wait up a minute!"

Taking note of her slightly annoyed tone of voice, he decided to stop and wait. He sighed, skidding to a halt, almost slipping on the slick sidewalk in the process. "Be careful, it's slippery on the ground!"

Something pricked at his ears, a noise that wasn't right. Screeching brakes, the skidding of tire on the slick roads. He turned swiftly, his eyes widening as he saw a car from the corner turn, going well over the speed limit, sliding out of control on the slippery roads. He watched the car in horror as it made it's way towards Amy who was running across the street after him.

"AMY!" he shouted, panic overriding all of his senses. Blood was pounding in his ears so loudly he couldn't even hear what she was shouting back to him. She stopped, just in time to see the car coming right towards her. She looked over at him, her eyes widening in terror._ I'm already safe, because you're watching over me. I have my very own guardian angel._ The words ran through is head, and he knew he had to save her.

He sprinted ahead, running as fast as he could. "Amy! AMY!" He reached out with his gloved hand, hoping to at least grasp her or push her out of harms way. At that moment he knew he was too far away and that he wouldn't make it in time to save her. The black sports car was already almost on top of her. The last thing Amy saw was Sonic running towards her, arms outstretched, before the car hit her dead on.

"NO! AMY!" He felt his heart stop in his chest for a moment, until it jumped in his chest, up into his throat. He felt like he couldn't breath, like the whole world stopped around him.

The car tumbled over before coming to a complete stop a couple of feet away from her body. He ran over to her, falling onto the snow, oblivious to the few people around screaming and scrambling for their phones to call an ambulance. He lifted her up and cradled her in his arms, leaning his head against hers.

"Amy," he whispered into her ear, tears running down his cheeks, "Please, please still be in there." She couldn't be dead! She couldn't leave him, she just couldn't. What had he done? How could this be happening? This couldn't be happening!

He pressed his two fingers against her neck, feeling for a pulse, any sign that she was still alive. Nothing for a moment--the longest moment of his life, until--a beat. Quickly, he stood up with her cradled protectively in his arms. White swirled with red where she used to lie. He sped off as fast as he could to the nearest hospital.

Get Amy to the hospital first, then call their friends, and then panic.

How could this have happened?

* * *

"Is she okay?"

"Where is she?"

"What happened?"

"Sonic?"

Sonic slowly lifted his head out of his hands, staring up at his friends worried faces. He quickly wiped his eyes to be sure they were clear of the many tears he had cried in the past fifteen minutes. "We were walking back to your place," he nodded over at Tails, "well, racing back actually…and I turned around to wait for her and a car--" he had to stop to take a shaky breath, "--a car came out of no where, skidding on the snow and ice, and slammed right into her. I tried to run to push her out of the way, but by the time I noticed…it was just about to hit her. I couldn't get there in time. I'm the fastest thing alive, and I couldn't reach her in time…" He hung his head in shame and sadness. "I was almost there…but couldn't reach her in time…"

"Sonic," he felt Tails' hand upon his shoulder, "don't blame yourself. She's going to be okay, isn't she…isn't she?" He could hear the shakiness of his friend's voice. Tails had no idea of the misery he was going through, no one did, and he doubted anyone ever would.

Sonic slowly shook his head, his body trembling. "They don't know. They wont tell me anything, dammit!" He slammed his fist into the wall, leaving a dent while almost breaking his hand in the process. The pain spread from his knuckles all the way up his arm. In a way, it felt good. He caused Amy pain, why not cause himself pain too? It would certainly make up for it.

"Sonic, calm down!" Tails ordered, half shouting. "Calm down, please. Being angry about this wont change it. She's already hurt, there's nothing we can do but wait and see what happens."

Sonic had already stood up and ran out of the waiting room by the time Tails and everyone else yelled after him. He ran out of the hospital, ran away from his friends, and ran away from the only person who mattered and needed him most.

He slowed into a walk after five or ten minutes, he couldn't really tell which. Tears had begun to fall down his cheeks again, his heart aching. Why did this have to happen to her? Why couldn't he had run faster and reached her in time? She couldn't die, not when they had just gotten together! Not when he had just admitted he was in love with her…

He stared up at the cloudy sky; it had stopped snowing. Stupid snow, if it hadn't had fallen, Amy wouldn't have been hurt. Now she was going to fade away, just like the snowflakes she mentioned. She couldn't though, she wouldn't! She would get better, she just had to! People got hit by cars all the time and survived, right? Right…?

Why couldn't he had gotten to her in time? This was happening because he professed his love for her, wasn't it? He knew he should have kept his mouth shut. If he hadn't had gone after her and asked her to go on a walk with him, she wouldn't have been in the way of the car. If he had just kept his mouth shut, run away like he always did, she wouldn't have gotten hurt.

If, if, if….It always came back to that simple word. If they hadn't had met, if there was no snowfall that night, if he hadn't had gone after her, if he was just a little bit faster, if he had watched her more closely….

But the wonderings of if were over…if had finally become reality. The one if he shouldn't have touched, and now he was paying the price--she was paying the price.

Sonic looked at the glass of a shop, staring at his reflection. How pitiful. His cheeks were tearstained, his eyes bloodshot, the once shinning emerald of his eyes were now a dull, lifeless green, his grin now a somber frown. The world's greatest hero, reduced to a mess because he failed to do his job one time on the person who he wanted to protect the most. He didn't deserve to be called a hero anymore, not when he had let this happen.

He went to turn away, disgusted at his appearance and what was becoming of him, but something caught his eye. Curious, he peered into the store window, seeing the same silver snowflake bracelet that Amy had on. His heart gave a small lurch, and he tried his best to ignore it for the moment. He looked over, and next to it was the matching necklace she was talking to Rouge about earlier.

Taking a deep breath, he walked into the store, a new goal set in mind.

He knew what he had to do.

* * *

"Sonic?" Tails lifted his had off of his chin, looking up from his chair, standing up quickly. "Where have you been? We've been so worried. What do you have there in your hand?"

Sonic walked briskly over to Tails, looking around. The room was empty except for his fox friend. "Where's everyone else?" he asked, ignoring all of Tails' questions. He felt anxious and jittery. "Is Amy okay?"

"She's still unconscious, and everyone else is inside watching over her--"

Sonic interjected quickly, worried, "Have the doctors said anything yet?"

"Well," he bit his lip slightly, avoiding his friend's crazed eyes. "They're not quite sure yet. You might have brought her here in time, which is lucky, because she lost quite a bit of blood. She'll be here for a while though, if she even does get better."

"She will," Sonic said through gritted teeth. "She has to." How could Tails say "if?" That damned word…

Tails sighed, finally meeting his eyes. "No one blames you, Sonic," he murmured sympathetically. "But we're worried about you."

"You should be worried about Amy," Sonic snapped, "not me. I'm fine, she isn't."

"You're losing your mind, Sonic!"

"She's hurt because of me, Tails!"

"And nothing's going to change that," Tails shouted, hands clenched into fists, much like that of Sonic's. "So calm down and think. Please, for her sake." Sonic unclenched his hands, but gave Tails a glowering look. Satisfied, Tails nodded towards the door. "She would want to see you."

Sonic nodded, walking swiftly towards her room only to be stopped by the sound of Tails voice. "Sonic?" He looked back, looking into supportive blue orbs. "We're here for you." He gave one curt nod, doing his best to turn his frown into smile before walking into the room.

Piercing silence greeted his ears, and somber, apprehensive glances met his. It was eerily quiet in the room, except for the beep that represented her heart beating. Even then, his heart seemed to synch up to the beating of hers. His eyes trailed from his friends, to the machines, and then to the being that was hooked up to them; Amy.

He sucked in a shaky breath of air, staring at her limp body lying upon the bed. She had a tube hooked up to her nose to help her breathe, and some other tubes and needles stuck in her body to help with the pain, he guessed. Her pink hair was a mess, looking knotted and discolored from a mixture of dry blood and snow. Her arm was in a sling, he guessed she broke it when the car hit her. He bet she broke a lot of other bones too. She was in a white hospital gown, her skin cut and smeared with some of her blood. Couldn't they had even cleaned her up a bit? He wrinkled his nose in distaste, feeling like he was going to puke. She looked so pale…so lifeless. He felt a lump climb up into his throat and hot tears prick at his eyes.

"Can…can I have a minute alone with Amy, guys?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm and collected. He could tell they all saw through his mask as they nodded and walked out of the room. Cream was the last to exit, but before she did, she paused and looked up at him.

"She'll be alright, Sonic," she said softly, touching his arm. He looked away to hide the tears that fell.

"You're lucky, you know," he said quietly. "You can be happy with him."

"No…," she told him just as quiet, "I worry about his safety every day, and I bet he worries about mine too. It wont be easy, I know," Sonic looked back at her, and saw the tears in her eyes as well, "but I want to at least try. And Amy? She wanted to try too…"

"And look where that got her," he muttered bitterly, taking all of his anger and frustration out.

"It got her to you, Sonic," Cream said, taking his hand and squeezing it reassuringly. "And there was no other place she would rather be. She wont leave that easily, Sonic. Not when she just got you." Sonic stared at her, wondering how someone so young could see things so much clearer then he could. She gave him one last small smile before walking out of the room, closing the door silently behind her.

Sonic slowly walked over to the bed, sitting down on it, staring down at the pink hedgehog. Even in a state like this, she was still so beautiful in his eyes. "Oh, Ames," he whispered, bending down and pressing his lips to her forehead. "I'm so sorry. It's all my fault, I'm so sorry. If it weren't for me…you would be okay." He knew she wouldn't respond, but he wanted to talk to her anyway. Maybe if she heard a familiar voice, she would stay and hold on as long as she could.

"Please, please get better," he murmured, gently stroking her hair. "I couldn't bear a world without you, and if you go, I'll closely follow if that is what you wish…." He took her hand and squeezed it. "I'm here for you, Ames…I wont ever leave your side again."

The next thing that happened completely took him by surprise. He felt a small pressure on his fingers, weak, but still there. A small groan escaped her lips, and slowly, her eyes fluttered open. Her jade orbs slowly looked around and then settled on his face. She smiled weakly. "H…Hi." Her voice was a mere whisper, rough and coarse. He was surprised she was even able to talk in the state she was in.

"Shhh," Sonic hushed her, putting his finger up to her lip to make her stay quiet. "Don't talk, save your energy." He had never felt so happy in his life, or guilty. "You need to rest so you can get better."

"Sonic," she began, panting slightly. "I…I need to tell you something. Now…before I go."

The warmth, and all feelings of happiness were blown away by an icy breeze that seemed to enter his heart. "No, no, you're not going anywhere!" he had to control his voice to keep himself from shouting. "You can't! Don't talk like this, please. You can't leave me…" he shut his eyes, a tear falling upon Amy's hand.

"Oh, Sonic…don't you know anything?" she asked softly, lifting her hand up to stroke his cheek. Her hand was cold and shaky. "I…I will never leave you." He lifted his head, staring at her. She looked so weak, so tired. He searched her eyes, her eyes which seemed to be losing it's usual sparkle.

"Amy," he choked on his own words, "I don't know what I'll do without you. Stay here, stay with us. It's not your time to go!"

"I'm not afraid," she had to pause to take another deep breath. Sonic could hear the beeps of the monitor slowing, yet, his heart rate continued to rise in terror. "I'll…I'll get to see my parents again. I…I wont hurt anymore."

"But I will. Please don't leave me," he begged desperately, his body quaking. He reached and took her hand off his cheek, holding it tightly in his. Her skin felt colder than it had before. "Amy…I…this is all my fault."

She shook her head slowly, smiling faintly at him. "No…don't blame yourself. It was my choice, remember?" He had to lean in to hear what she was saying her voice was so quiet. "I...I would do it all over again, just to relive the moment I had before with you. Sonic the hedgehog…I love…you so much."

"I love you too," he tried to smile behind the tears, trying to show her everything would be alright. A thought entered his head. "I got you something, for Christmas."

"That's…so sweet of you." He picked the small box off of the floor, opening it for her. He heard her gasp--though he wasn't sure if it was for air or because of the gift. He took it out of the box and with some effort, managed to clip the necklace around her neck. The silver snowflake glistened with diamonds in the hospital lights.

"I thought, it would match your bracelet," Sonic murmured, watching as she lifted it a little to get a better look at it. Judging from the look on her face, she seemed to like it very much.

"It's beautiful…" Her jade orbs looked into his emerald ones. He saw a ray of happiness, pure and utter happiness. How could she be happy with him after what he did to her?

"Not…not as beautiful as you," he whispered earnestly. He could barely contain the sobs that threatened to leave his lips. "You're the most beautiful creature upon the earth."

Her jade eyes looked into his. "Sonic…," her voice was barely audible, "Promise…promise me something."

"Anything," he told her firmly, quickly. The light was quickly fading from her eyes, the beeps in the background matching her jagged heart beats.

"Promise me…you wont do anything stupid…and that you'll live out your life…for me."

"I…I promise…but you have to stay with me, Ames, please," he begged once more, a sob finally escaping.

"I'll…I'll always be with you, don't you know that?"

"Ames, please," he pressed his lips to hers for a moment. He was going to lose her, he was going to lose everything he ever wanted. The only thing that mattered…and she was leaving him.

Her eyes stayed open for a moment as she somehow managed to smile. "I…I love you…"

"I love you too," he kissed her again. He kissed her lips, he kissed her forehead, and then her hand. He kept his eyes closed, tears spilling onto the bed sheet. He listened to her uneven breath and then, as she took her last gasp of air, heard the defining beep of the monitor as her heart stopped. Footsteps entered the room, and he felt a hand on his shoulder and the cries of his friends in the background.

"Goodbye, my Rose." He held her lifeless hand, sobbing uncontrollably. He felt as if a piece of him had left, never to come back again. He would never be whole again.

He didn't leave her side until the nurses and doctors came in and told him she was gone and it was time to let go. He didn't want to let go, not ever, but knew that sometime, some way, he would have to and the first step was letting go of her hand. He stood up and ran out of the room, needing to be left alone with his thoughts. He ran and ran until he came upon the large oak tree overlooking the city. He collapsed under it, looking up at the sky.

Maybe, just maybe, Amy was up there looking back down at him. Pain stabbed at his heart and he wiped his eyes. He would be strong though, he had to if he wanted to keep his promise. He would live out a long and healthy life, even if he wasn't happy. And one day, he would be able to join her. It would take a while, but things would surely start to return to normal.

"I miss you," he whispered up to the sky, hoping that somehow, someway, she would be able to hear him.

Pure white snowflakes began to gently fall from the heavens above, replying to his words.

* * *

Well, that's the end of the two-shot! :) Thank you to all the people who reviewed the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed the story, and that you have a happy, healthy new year! :) Please review!


End file.
